


Hey Chiaki, What Happens After You Die?

by MyLordAndSaviorIzuruKamukura



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Día de los Muertos | Day of the Dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:07:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22933024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyLordAndSaviorIzuruKamukura/pseuds/MyLordAndSaviorIzuruKamukura
Summary: Based on the Mexican holiday 'Día de los Muertos'; the Warriors of Hope struggle to accept their newfound situation as a skeletal Chiaki offers them a place in the afterlife.
Kudos: 15





	Hey Chiaki, What Happens After You Die?

Rays of sunlight begin to hide behind the safety of the horizon. The orb fades to a meager crest. Candlelight flickers playful shadows onto smoothly carved stone.

The celebrations continue, and even grow harmoniously.

Collections of families crowd around tall altars. Gifts line the stones, along with home baked goods and fine wines. Parties munch on pan de muerto as they chat and laugh. Children play monkey-in-the-middle with tombstones. As they run, they carelessly kick up marigold petals, only to be immediately scolded by an elder.

In an empty corner of the cemetery lay a simple stone, with a cheap plastic toy fire truck and an unseen little boy.

...

I kick at the dirt below my feet, completely, totally bored. I glare at the ball game a few feet away again. I had asked to join, like, ten million times already! And they keep ignoring me! They haven't even looked at me, and I've been here a lot longer than they have!

I hear shouts before I see the ball coming right at me! It almost touches my arm as it flies by and bounces right into the bushes. Ha! Serves them right for ignoring me! "Ow!" I cry. "What was that for?"

Again, they completely ignore me. One of the guys runs right through me as he goes to get the ball.

What the hell?

The dude runs back to his friends, and I'm back to being ignored. I begin to walk in circles around this puny little rock that I can't seem to get away from. Like, every time I try to walk out of this stupid cemetery, I always end up back at this stupid rock! Now nobody's answering any of my calls, and I just wanna go home. I can't help but yell in frustration.

"Masaru? Masaru...Daimon, right? Is that you?"

There's someone in the distance that I can barely make out. It's not until I see the two pink pigtails peeping out through the tombstones that I recognize the voice. "Kotoko?" I shout back. Kotoko was this girl that was in my class. She sat in the front row, a few seats away from me. I saw her pretty much everyday, but I never bothered to talk to her that much. I think the only time I ever talked to her was when I asked for a pencil on the third day of school. But, seeing her here, and knowing that she at least can see me, makes it feel like I've known her for a million years!

We meet up right in the middle of the field. "What're you doing here?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I'm not sure. I feel like I've been here for way too long. Actually, I'm happy to meet you here. It feels like you're the only one who has acknowledged me at all."

I nod wildly in agreement. "Same here! I thought I was going crazy! But, I can't let that happen! Only the weak would fall at a time like this! And I'm not weak; I'm the strongest of them all!" I laugh in victory. Yeah, Kotoko! There's no need to be scared now that I'm here! Haha!

"Oh, really?" Kotoko raises an eyebrow, like she doesn't believe me.

"Yeah, really!"

"Okay, sure," Kotoko still seems unconvinced, but she's at least smart enough to quit arguing. "Anyway, have you found a way out? I keep wandering around, but I haven't seen anything! Isn't that frustrating! It's like being forced to rehearse the same scene over and over again, even though you have your part memorized! Or dying right before you kill the final boss in the game!"

I'm pretty sure she said even more, but I ignored her. "There’s a clearing over there I think we can get to." I point to the shadowy area to our right. "I think if we work together, we can break through whatever's keeping us trapped!"

"Are you sure?" She grabs onto her hair. "It looks really dark and scary. Totes not adorbs!"

"Don't worry!" I tell her. "I'll protect you! There's nothin' to fear with me here!"

I march right up to the entrance of the clearing, right where the cemetery ends. Kotoko follows close behind, peering over my shoulders scaredly. I take one more step passed the cemetery, but my whole foot disappears! I don't even feel it! I pull my leg back, and it's still there! I take the step again, and the same thing happens!

"S-stop that!" Kotoko cries as she pulls on my arm. "You can't just disappear like that! People don't disappear unless you don't see them for a long time! But socks disappear! Or your phone in your purse!"

"No! I can do it!" I push her away. "I just need to step harder!" I kick my leg toward the clearing, and the same thing happens!

"Wait, Masaru!" Kotoko stops me again. "Don't we know those two from school? Maybe they're in the issue we are! We should ask for help!" She points to a couple of figures a little ways from us.

I grunt as I recognize one in particular. It was that blue-haired jerk! He's that stupid know-it-all that sits on the other side of the room who always answers the teacher's questions, never giving anyone else time in he spotlight! And to make matters worse, he always reminds our forgetful teacher about our homework, and our tests, too! I hated him the moment I met him! As for the other guy, Jataro, he's...a character. I'm nice to him--sometimes--but he's super weird! He doodles on all of his homework assignments. I can hear his pencil scribbling all the time since he sits directly behind me. I've even caught him drawing on me when I fall asleep in class! My dad always points out the 'gay ass flowers' on my arm or my neck. 

"We don't need help!" I argue, but it's too late.

Kotoko has already begun waving her arms around like crazy and jumping up and down and shouting to get there attention. "Hey! HEY! Boys! Over here! Help!"

To my surprise--and Kotoko's, probably--both of them noticed us and carefully approach. "N-Nagisa!" Jataro says in his dumb nasally voice. "Are they able to see us?"

"Well, clearly they can see us!" Nagisa snaps unexpectedly. He looks at us. "What are you two even doing? Don't you know that we can't leave?"

"Yeah, we can!" I tell him. "We just have to try harder!" I stick my foot into the disappearing clearing again.

"Idiot!" Nagisa hisses. "We're trapped here! Can you at least try to process this like a normal functioning human?"

"I'm not an idiot!" I shout. "I'm preservative!"

"The word is PERSEVERENT!" Nagisa replies. "Only idiots will try something that clearly doesn't work in hopes of a different result!" He sighs and rubs the sides of his head.

"Everybody," a girl's voice interrupts us. I freeze. That was definitely not Kotoko's voice. I feel my body naturally shrink in on itself, and my arms uncontrollably reach up to protect my chect and head. As we all turn to the source, we see a skeleton girl magically apparate right in front of us. She's pretty much all bones, with bits and pieces of green cloth stuck between the joints. Her face is painted with a whole heck of a lot of green and yellow dots. She also has a pink backpack, but I don't know how it stays on her back, when she doesn’t really even have shoulders anymore. To make things even weirder, there are holes all over her! Holes that don't belong! They go straight through her! "Please cease this arguing."

"Wh-who are you?!" Nagisa exclaims.

"Y-yeah!" I say.

"We have never met, but I fear we were destined to meet." The skeleton shakes her head sadly. "My name is Chiaki, and I am to guide you to the afterlife."

We stay silent for what feels like forever. Dead? I don't remember dying! I thought when you died you saw a light and felt happy, but nothing like that has ever happened to me!

"I'm sorry, what?" Nagisa says what we're all thinking. "I can't be dead! How did I die? No, I'm not dead, I can't be! I have a test to study for! I have no time for this!"

"This is a normal reaction to have," Chiaki says. "I'm sorry, but you are indeed in the land of the dead. I refuse to share the...messy details of your passing, but I am obligated to inform you that the four of you in tandem at your own hands."

"...Do you mean...suicide?" Kotoko asks.

Chiaki only nods.

"I can't believe this!" Nagisa tries to run away, but is stopped by Chiaki. "I can't just...die! Not like this! Take me back home, right now!"

"I really am sorry," Chiaki tells him. "But this isn't something we can just undo. It's already done, this isn't some mistake we can just 'take back.' You are dead."

Her last words hit me hard, right in the chest. It's just hard to really accept. I didn't think I would end up killing myself! I always figured that I would die at someone else's fists! "Are you sure I can't have one more day?" I ask. "I was s'pose to go shopping for my dad, and if he doesn’t get what he wants, he'd probably kill me!" I tell her, not even joking.

"Your physical bodies can no longer support life," Chiaki unfortunately tells me. "Now, we just need to tend to your souls."

"How do we do that?" Jataro looks up at Chiaki.

"Let us go for a walk," Chiaki offers a hand to Jataro, which he takes.

The rest of us follow like duckies as she leads us to a fancy-looking gravestone. It has Jataro's name on it, right smack in the middle.

Jataro stares at it for a bit with the blankest look in his eyes ever. "Wh-what is this?"

"Jataro," Chiaki begins what seems like is going to be a long speech or somethin'. "You were unfortunately subjected to a young lifetime of neglect and anger. Because of your past, you never allowed people to show their love for you. Here, you were an artist, correct?"

Jataro nods.

Chiaki points to several crumpled sheets of paper scattered around his grave. Jataro picks one up and unfolds it. "E-eh?" I look over his shoulders. It's one of his drawings. I remember seeing it on his desk, like, a month ago. It's this epic dragon thing. But, it's weird. I thought he threw it away as soon as he finished it.

"You were cared about more than you would like to admit," Chiaki tells him. She focuses his attention to the pair of adults that were walking towards us. Hey, those were teachers from our school! They lay some flowers at Jataro's grave and stood there for a few minutes. I think one of them is crying. Soon after they leave, Chiaki speaks one more. "If there were one thing you could have done differently in your short life, you could have let these people in. They wanted to help you, you knew that. They could have taken away your pain, you knew that. But, something stopped you. Do you know what it was?"

Jataro silently nods. I can tell that he's close to breaking down.

"We all feel sad at times, or like we don't belong," Chiaki says. "But you never got a chance to feel happy and cared for by others. In your afterlife, maybe you will finally receive that affection you deserve. Come on, Jataro. You must forgive yourself. Forgive whatever you feel guilty for, bury it with your body, and come with me."

Jataro looks at Chiaki, then at us, then at his grave. He wipes the tears from his eyes. He takes a few deep breathes before whispering sadly. "But, Chiaki. What happens after you die?"

She doesn't have any lips, but it almost seems like Chiaki is smiling. "It is time for you to find out for yourself."

A light, faint at first, but growing brighter, comes from within Jataro's chest. He panics, and begins clawing at it. He begins to scratch himself up like a jaguar. "Ah! Aaaah!" He screams scaredly. The light continues to grow brighter, so much so that I have to cover my eyes with my hands. But, then it's just gone, and when I open my eyes, so is Jataro.

"What happened to him?" Kotoko asks loudly.

"He came to terms with his demise, and permitted himself to travel to the afterlife," Chiaki explains.

"Okay, so Jataro fell for your little speech," Nagisa snaps. "But what now?"

Chiaki offers her hand to him. "Come with me."

Nagisa slaps her hand away, but still we follow her to a new grave. Nagisa's.

"Wait, what's this?" Chiaki mumbles to herself.

There is someone standing at his tombstone-well, sitting, 'cause she's in a wheelchair. It's my friend Monaca from our class! I'm super happy to see her! It's a relief to have at least one friendly face in this sitiation!

"Oh, no, why is she here?" Chiaki sounds grossed out. Or scared.

"Chiaki?" Kotoko looks at her with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Monaca!" Nagisa shouts happily. He runs to her. "It's nice to see you here! H-hey, Monaca..." He seems disappointed when he remembers that Monaca can't see us. "Are you able to tell if I'm here? 'Cause I am, so you don't need to worry! M-Monaca?"

"Oh, Nagisa," Monaca whimpers to herself. "Out of the four of you, you were the one I was hoping would live. I didn't think you were dumb enough to jump, too," she says innocently. She chucks the flowers in her hands at the grave. "Welp! Here's nothing I can do! See Nagisa, you're making me sad!"

Nagisa falls to his knees in between her and his tombstone. "Wh-what is this?" He whispers loudly. He chokes back a cry.

"You should not have found out like this," Chiaki says sadly. "Monaca...was with you at the time of your deaths. She...made the countdown."

"You mean to say," Nagisa grit his teeth, glaring at Chiaki. "That...Monaca...masterminded our deaths?"

Chiaki didn't reply. But then again, she didn't really have to. Strangely, part of me isn't surprised at all. Even though I liked her, I had often sensed something weird from Monaca.

Nagisa turns back to Monaca. "You did this?! Why?! I don't understand! I thought you...liked me..." He sniffles.

"Nagisa," Chiaki starts up her speech mode again. "Throughout your life, you struggled to find acceptance among the people you cared about. You were defiled and rejected by your parents time and time again. You never quite fit in with your peers, you could tell they despised your intellect." I shift on my feet awkwardly. "Even those you cared about most easily used you, and you let them in hopes that you would one day be seen as an equal."

"SHUT UP!" Nagisa screams. Spit spews everywhere. "WHAT DO YOU ABOUT ME?! JUST STOP IT!"

Chiaki bravely keeps talking. "In your afterlife, I hope you feel that acceptance you craved when you lived. Come with me, Nagisa. Please understand that people's thoughts need not affect you. You did the best you could in your harsh circumstance."

"SHUT UP!" Nagisa screams again before crying some more. It is an ugly crying, too. I almost feel bad for him.

Chiaki waits patiently with her hands folded in front of her. She just keeps staring at Nagisa as he sobs. Kotoko and I keep standing next to her awkwardly.

Eventually, Nagisa stops crying. He looks up at Monaca again for a long time before he stands up. He clenches his fists tightly before saying. "Chiaki? What happens after you die?"

Chiaki smiles--I mean, I think she does, it's hard to tell sometimes. "It is time for you to find out for yourself."

Again, the light starts taking Nagisa away. Unlike Jataro, he doesn’t make any effort to stop it. He just looks...really tired.

He disappears pretty quickly. Kotoko and I share an uncomfortable glance. "He's finally gone..." Kotoko says. She looks up at Chiaki. "What now?"

Chiaki offers her hand to her. "Let's find out."

Kotoko grabs Chiaki's hand almost too eagerly as we wander over to Kotoko's fancy little altar. It's bigger than the others, and decorated a lot more, with flowers and stuffed bears and lots of candy and pink streamers. There's also a lot of old guys standing around it. Kotoko steps closer to Chiaki.

Chiaki squeezes her hand. "I'm sorry it has to be like this."

In front of us, one of the voices from the partying men flies right at us. "Man, I'm gonna miss the little slut. She was tight!" This comments sends the group of sleazy old men into a fit of laughter. I don't really understand what's so funny. Shouldn't they be sad that somebody died?

Kotoko sighs. "So am I," she whispers.

"Kotoko," Oh boy, speech time again. "Your life has been filled with a shamefully unique set of tribulations. You never got to experience a proper childhood like others your age. Your loss of innocence has made you hate life itself. But worry not, Kotoko, for your afterlife should allow you to have a normal childhood, just like you always wanted."

"How do I get there?" Kotoko asks.

"You must realize that all that is said about you is wrong. The media loves to sell you as something you are not. They enjoy putting labels on all of us. Deep down, you believe everything they say. You must come to terms with your reality and shake those labels off, because they do not define you. Then, you may unlock your paradise."

Kotoko is quick to start crying, just like the others. Her eyes widen, like she's realized something that she hasn't before. "Chiaki," she wails. "Is this what it's like when you die?"

"Only you can know for yourself," Chiaki answers.

Light comes from Kotoko's chest. She holds her hands to it nicely, like she's embracing it. She smiles at me. "I will see you in the afterlife, Masaru." She seems to enjoy disappearing, because she lets the light take her even more quickly than the other two.

I gulp. My hand shakes nervously. I quickly take my other hand and pinch my wrist until it stops shaking. "Nobody else is left," I say more to myself than to Chiaki. "What now?"

Chiaki doesn't speak. She just holds her hand out to me.

I take it, and we go back to what I guess is my grave. It doesn’t match any of the others. It's just a rock. It looks like something from my backyard.

I look around, confused. Why is nobody here? "Where is everyone?" I ask Chiaki. "Why hasn't anyone visited me yet?"

Chiaki refuses to look in my direction.

"Chiaki," I say again more harshly. "Where is everyone? Are you tryin' to tell me that nobody is coming for me? Did I make no impact on anyone?!"

"Masaru," Oh great, I get a speech, too. "During your life, you were subjected to many scary things. To avoid them, you built a complex for yourself, and concentrated on saving others. While noble, it never solved anything. You must know that it is okay to feel afraid, then you may get your recognition."

"No!" I argue. "No! I can't! I haven't done enough! I couldn't save anyone, not even myself!"

"You have saved more people than you know," Chiaki tells me. "After your death, others are already telling their stories and getting the help they need. You are rescuing more people than you realize."

I'm startled to find that big fat tears are rolling down my face. Dammit! I'm not any better than the others! "B-but," I whimper. "I was s'pose to be the hero. I was gonna go down in history as the greatest hero ever..." I just jeep on wailing.

Chiaki squats down and hugs me. "You will be remembered. I promise. You won't be forgotten. As long as this stone stays here, people will notice you and remember you. In your afterlife, you must surely be celebrated for your heroic acts."

I keep crying. I hate that I can't control whatever happens next. I wish I was still alive! I wish none of this ever happened! I wish-

I wish-

I wish to be remembered. I can't do anything now, but I hope that what I've done in the past will be enough. "H-hey, Chiaki?" I blubber through my sea of tears. I wish I didn't have to say this so soon. "What happens after you die?"

She squeezes me one last time before pulling away. "It is time for you to find out."

And I let the light take me away.


End file.
